Europol
23 countries joined forces in “Operation Alice”
Global cybercrime crackdown: over 373 000 dark web sites shut down. The investigation began in 2021 against the dark web platform “Alice with Violence CP”.
Europol:
Massive take-down of fraudulent websites advertising child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and cybercrime-as-a-service (CaaS)
On 9 March 2026, a global operation led by German authorities and supported by Europol was launched against one of the largest networks of fraudulent platforms in the dark web. The investigation began in 2021 against the dark web platform “Alice with Violence CP”.
During the investigation, authorities discovered that the platform’s operator was running more than 373 000 fraudulent websites advertising child sexual abuse material (CSAM) and cybercrime-as-a-service (CaaS) offerings.
In total, 23 countries joined forces in 'Operation Alice,' which initially only targeted the platform operator.
Plot twist: through international cooperation, the investigation ended up uncovering the identities of 440 customers who had used the operator's services.
Read more in our press release: europol.europa.eu
"All rights belong to Europol"
